On Wednesday, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley urged
\nthe United States Department of Agriculture to give parity to the priorities of
\ngrowers and communities in Oregon and the west through existing authorities,
\nnew funding, and collaboration across government.<\/p>\n
In a letter to the USDA, the senators said, \u201cThe American
\nWest is in crisis. Across the major basins of the American West \u2013 including the
\nColorado River Basin, the Rio Grande Basin, the Sacramento-San Joaquin River
\nBasin, the Columbia River Basin and the Arkansas-White-Red Basin \u2013 farms and
\nfamilies hang in the balance as they grapple with a 22-year mega drought\u201d. The
\nlawmakers said the acute shortage of water for western growers threatens
\nproductive farmland in the states they represent, which are \u201c\u2026both a pillar of
\nour rural economies and drivers of America\u2019s food production\u201d.<\/p>\n
A release said in the letter, the senators urge the USDA to
\nsupport western farmers and ranchers to conserve water, improve water
\ninfrastructure and efficiency, protect lands at risk of erosion, and provide
\ntechnical assistance for growers in regions affected by drought. The group also
\nurged the USDA to better extend resources and develop tailored solutions
\nthrough its existing programs to help western growers address dire drought
\nconditions.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The letter was led by Senators Michael Bennet of Colorado
\nand Mitt Romney of Utah. Along with Wyden and Merkley, it was co-signed by
\neleven other senators, representing both political parties.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On Wednesday, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley urged the United States Department of Agriculture to give parity to the priorities of growers and communities in Oregon and the west through existing authorities, new funding, and collaboration across government. In a letter to the USDA, the senators said, \u201cThe American West is in crisis. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1852","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-in-the-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n